Warmth
by elesi
Summary: It's warm where she is. It's cold where he is...
1. Prologue

Up the slope of a mountain where the wind blowing was biting cold, Kakashi was lying down on the hard bare ground, his back leaning on a rock, his open silver eye looking up at the overcast sky. He no longer recalls at what point he lost his gloves, forehead protector and cloak. Exhaustion was taking over his body. He was drifting off to oblivion and knew he shouldn't. Not out here. Not in this cold.

He was on a solo mission to obtain some valuable information for a client he does not even know. All he needed was a sharp memory since there was supposed to be no written evidence about that particular mission. Any intelligence he can gather had to be transmitted back verbally and he was not supposed to leave any trace of being in that place where he gathered the data from. If done without any hang-ups, there was no need to actually harm anyone, no blood needs to be shed. That's why when he got detected by shinobi from the village he infiltrated, Kakashi fled as fast as he could. He was quite sure he had lost those who were pursuing him and he was quite sure those people do not even know what information he was able to get from their village. Still, he needed to get back to Konoha to report what he got.

He knew the risks of going on solo missions. No team mates or back-up (which to him also means no one to look after). One's left with his own devices. If you do not come back, you're considered a goner (which was easy enough to understand). It was the type of missions that are more suicidal. People may think only the truly brave shinobis have enough courage to accept those type of missions. He cannot object to that. But there's a difference when one preferred solo missions. To him, it was foolish and reckless. But then again, he prefers solo missions.

He mentally cursed himself. If he was half as good at protecting people than he was at killing then maybe... maybe she would be holding his hands because they were very cold. Maybe he wouldn't be in this desolately cold place that's draining all the warmth out of him.

From where he was, he could see the valley below. He looked down to the cluster of faraway houses with smoke rising out of their chimneys. He longed for a warm bed, a hot drink, a fireplace. He longed for the warmth of her smile.

Little white things started to float down from the sky. Snow. They rode the wind, dancing gracefully as they slowly fell. When they touched his face, he realized that his mask was down. He moved a hand towards his mouth, bit a finger to draw a drop of blood,dropped the hand back to the ground and summoned his ninja dogs hoping, to his surprise, that doing the technique won't kill him. It felt like he had just about reached his limit. But he still had the will to keep himself awake.

With a puff of smoke, all eight of his ninja dogs appeared. They immediately gathered around him, awaiting his instructions, worry showing in their eyes the moment they saw Kakashi's condition.

"Shelter." It was all he murmured. They understood and darted off at once to different directions with Pakkun and Bull staying behind to guard him. In just a matter of minutes, a howl was heard. Shelter has been found. Kakashi heaved himself up Bull's back and held on to the huge dog's spiked collar to keep himself from falling off. Bull went off to the direction of where the howl came with Pakkun following behind, glancing around the area and sniffing the air to make sure there was no one tailing them.

The other dogs had found a small empty cave, one likely used by animal hunters, enough to keep Kakashi out of the freezing cold. Once inside, he got off Bull, thanked his loyal canine friends and guards and curled up on the floor of the cave to rest his tired bones. One by one, the dogs found a spot beside and on top of him, to help fight off cold. And he finally let sleep take him down.

The first snow of the season. Rin was very delighted to be outdoors when it started.

She had just come from the neighboring houses where she spent the afternoon checking on some young ones and elderly people. She had become the person her neighbors would call for whenever they needed a remedy for any discomfort, be it simple cold or maybe broken bones. Sometimes, just having her for company was very much appreciated by everyone around.

She didn't show her ability to heal. She wasn't supposed to. Luckily, in that quaint little village, she never needed to treat anything serious. She needed to stay low-profile, just someone who knew a little about medicine, not a medic ninja from one of the biggest hidden villages. It's been difficult to be away from her own village. Sadly, she had gotten used to it. But there was still one thing that kept her attached to that place she was from. One person actually. And the snow... It reminds her of the color of his unruly hair.

Rin walked down the narrow lane that led to her humble abode, sat on the doorstep and watched as the tiny cold things slowly adorned everything with a touch of white. There's something about the subtlety of falling snow that she liked. Unlike rain that demands its presence felt by pelting everything with teensy-weensy water bombs and makes such a noise wherever it decided to pour, snow just quietly gives a frosty kiss whatever it lands on. Raindrops are too quick, just intent on reaching the earth that there's barely any chance to even say hello. Snowflakes, on the other hand, glide silently by, sometimes taking their time as they danced around before landing.

She cannot wait for it to have enough snow to make a snowman. Since her first winter in that place, she'd build a snowman on her yard, hollow out the bottom part of it and place a candle inside which she lights up once it's gotten dark. It's an activity that her neighbors had followed. And so on snowy nights, in that tiny village, hulking yet smiling snowmen served as sentinels outside the houses, candles inside them safe from the gusts of wind, the soft glow emanating from them lighting the way for anyone who happened to pass by.

Looking around her, she noticed that her surroundings now has a thin layer of snow blanketing it. From where she was, she can also see the lone mountain on that region, dark and looming. When winter comes and that mountain becomes snow-capped, she cannot help but be reminded of a certain masked guy with gray-white hair.

Rin realized her mind was wandering again. She sighed deeply and decided it's time to go inside. She started a fire, the room becoming brighter and warmer as she stoked more wood into it. Soon enough, she had also prepared herself some hot tea which she was sipping as she sat in front of the fireplace, covered with a blanket, staring at the warm yellow and orange flames as if hypnotized.

Snow continued to fall outside. Tomorrow she'll be making a snowman. Wherever that masked, gray-white haired guy she's thinking of was, she prayed that he's safe. And warm.


	2. Cloak

Kakashi was feeling warm. More than that, he was feeling hot, quite hot that he had an urge to take his clothes off and the only thing stopping him from doing so was the fact that he felt so out of energy he can't even move his limbs. With that being said, he cannot comprehend why he seemed to be moving along a path that headed downhill. He raised his head and realized he was between two heavily-built men, each holding him up by having his arms around their shoulders and each had an arm around his waist to support him. The men were tall enough that Kakashi's feet were barely touching the ground as they dragged him.

Uh-oh, Kakashi was thinking. He wanted to release himself from the arms that were supporting him, dragging him to somewhere. It seemed like wherever that place was the two men were taking him to, they were trying to get him there fast. He tried to shrug himself off from the men but what he managed was a weak squirm.

One of the men noticed that he had gained consciousness. "You awake, shinobi?" asked the man on Kakashi's left. The voice was deep, strong. Kakashi turned his head towards that man, squinting with his right eye, instinctively keeping his left one closed. "You're in trouble, man," uttered the man on his right. Kakashi looked at this other guy and saw that this one seemed younger than the other.

Kakashi can't seem to think properly. His mind was too muddled to remember where he was. He vaguely remembers going into a cave after trying to evade some ninjas who were pursuing him. He was sure his ninken were with him. Questions slowly formed in his mind. He wanted to ask the two men where his ninja dogs were. He wanted to ask the two who they were and where they were taking him but what he said when he opened his mouth was, "It's hot in here, isn't it?"

The two men looked at each other gravely as they followed the path downhill. As if just saying those few words were too much of a strain, Kakashi's eye started to feel heavy again, his eyelid closing by itself even if he was making an effort to keep himself awake.

A howl came from somewhere before them and it was answered by another howl from a short distance behind them. They also heard some barking that sounded familiar to Kakashi's ears.

"It can't be hot..." said one of the men. But Kakashi didn't hear that anymore since he had lost consciousness again. "...because it's snowing."

Just when she was on the brink of sleep, there came a loud knocking on the front door. Rin, who almost jumped in surprise, looked about her in a dazed way, trying to get back her bearings. She was sitting on a futon she had spread near the fireplace, cozily wrapped in a blanket and a book lying faced-down beside her. The loud knocking came again.

"Just a second," she said loudly as she stood up. She walked to the door. "Who's there?"

"It's me, Eito," answered a voice familiar to her. Rin hurriedly opened the door and was instantly greeted by cold winds. It was still snowing, hard though not hard enough to be considered a blizzard. Eito's bulky figure stood in front of her, brushing the snow off his head and shoulders. "We found someone in the cave up in the mountain," he said. "Looks like he needs help badly." His equally bulky son, Kenji, was standing just behind trying to hold up someone wrapped up in Eito's cloak. The hood of the cloak covered the man's head that Rin cannot even see how the person looked. Rin opened the door wide to let the three in.

Before she could close the door, she saw something peculiar. There were several dogs out there on her yard. They were all of different breeds and all of them were sitting up still. She thought there were only seven but there was one small pug sitting on the head of the biggest which was a bulldog. A total of eight dogs sitting close together out in the snow.

"Eito-san, these dogs..." she said quizzically. "Looks like this guy owns them," Eito explained. "They would've all froze themselves to death up there in the mountain."

Rin thought for a moment then decided to let the dogs in. "Here guys," she motioned to the dogs, keeping the door wide open. She had a feeling they weren't just ordinary dogs. The dogs uneasily looked at one another before filing in, shaking the snow off themselves before stepping into the house and finding a corner to huddle in.

That was when Rin saw the symbol on the hitai-ate the dogs wore like collars. The symbol of the Leaf. Her heart started to beat fast. "Looks like they're from Konohagakure," Eito said. He didn't know that Rin didn't need to be told.

"We don't know what exactly is with this guy, Rin-chan," Kenji was saying. He and his father had taken off the cloak and set the guy down on the futon. "He has symptoms of hypothermia but it looks like he's also suffering from something else."

Rin nodded as she listened to what Kenji was saying but her attention was still with the dogs. They wore blue vests with a henohenomoheji symbol, the one usually drawn on the faces of scarecrows. She should've known that it was a forewarning. She took a deep breath and walked towards Eito and Kenji then took a look at the man they brought in.

It was what she feared and hoped at the same time. There in front of her was Kakashi, lying down on the futon she just had been sleeping on right in the heart of her own home. There was the same unruly gray-white hair and pale skin. Same jagged scar that ran vertically from the left portion of his forehead down his left eye and the top of his cheek. His mask was down, gathered around his neck. She somehow knew that if that mask was down, there was something wrong with him.

She put a hand on his forehead to get a feel of his temperature. He was very cold to the touch. She checked him further and found his heartbeat was irregular, his breathing uneven.

"Eito -san, I can handle this. You and Kenji may go ahead." Her voice came out tremulous. Kakashi seemed to come to a little. He opened his right eye and saw once more the two men who had been dragging him earlier looking down at him as they knelt beside him. There was still confusion in that eye.

Rin watched as Kakashi turned his head towards her. She saw how his eye, that same steel-colored eye, look at her, saw the flash of recognition as he realized who he was seeing right at that moment. He tried to move his hand, the one closest to her, and reached out to her face, the tips of his fingers touching her cheek and the purple stripe on it. And then his hand dropped and he drifted out of consciousness again.


	3. Hearth

Rin felt all mixed-up. As she held his cold hand, the feeling of joy at seeing Kakashi again was overlapped by a fear so deep, fear she felt for him because of his grave condition. Here was Kakashi right in front of her; she can see him, she can touch him, but she didn't know if she can save him.

It took some effort on Rin's part to remain looking calm. "Eito-san. Kenji. I don't want to sound rude but I think I would be able to move more freely if you leave."

"Are you sure you want to be left alone with a stranger?" Eito asked. They were friends of hers, almost like family, and she knew they were just concerned about her. He is not a stranger, she wanted to tell them. She took her eyes off Kakashi and smiled at Eito and Kenji. They were wonderful people, they had shown nothing but kindness and hospitality since she arrived at that quaint little village near the foot of the mountain. They deserved to know but Rin thought it was not the time to do some explaining.

"I will be fine," she reassured them. Her smile seemed to convince the two men. They both stood up and walked towards the door.

"You know where to run if you need any help, Rin," Kenji said as he opened the door, letting his father go first. Rin nodded as she stood up and once Kenji had closed the door behind him, she immediately ran to the door, bolted it, then ran back to Kakashi's side.

She didn't know what to do. If he had been taken to a hospital, she knew he would have a better chance of surviving. But there wasn't one around, the closest one being more or less three hours worth of travel and at that time and in the weather they were in, Kakashi's lungs or any of his other vital organs might fail, his heart might stop beating. She felt for his pulse again - weak, as if there was only very little life left on him. She had to do something.

First, she wanted to know if there were any other injuries that she was not detecting; maybe a poison that was introduced to his bloodstream through his wounds or by inhalation. Anything that might actually be causing or was aggravating his condition. All she saw were very minor wounds and bruises and there was the tell-tale broken skin of his thumb.

She turned toward the pack of dogs still crowded together on the corner. "Are you his summons?" she asked though unsure if the animals can talk. Rin did not get any answer. Eight pairs of canine eyes just looked at her, warily watching her every move, looking like they were ready to pounce on her any moment they see something wrong. "I just want to know what happened to him," she was almost pleading. Still, the dogs did not give any other reaction.

Realizing she wouldn't get any answers, Rin turned her attention back to Kakashi. A sigh of exasperation escaped from her. Exasperation at how Kakashi had always been reckless, how he was almost always willing to jump into any type of trouble (especially for her). She placed both her hands on his chest, gathering her chakra there then directing it to his heart as it converted to heat. She could feel his heart's weak beat as she she tried to infuse some warmth into it. That was the best she can do; to at least get his body back to normal human temperature. And then just keep him warm.

She was looking at her hands, at the green glow emanating from them. It's Kakashi, always Kakashi, who tested her medical knowledge. She had been the one to transplant Obito's sharingan to him; she had tried to neutralize and draw out poison from his body; she had healed his injuries, both fatal and otherwise. For the first time in so many years, she was trying to save him again. Slowly, tears welled up in her eyes then trickled down her cheeks. "What had you been doing, Kakashi?" she mumbled.

"Lady," she heard a raspy voice say, coming from the direction of the dogs. She turned towards them. It was the pug sitting atop the bulldog who spoke. "Who are you?"

"I am a friend," she replied. "I won't hurt him."

"She's the girl on the picture," said the dog wearing the sunglasses. All seven of the other ninja dogs turned toward him.

"What are you talking about?" asked the white dog with the black crest.

"The picture with Obito and the Fourth," explained the dog with the sunglasses. Rin knew what picture they were talking about. She had the same one in her house, hidden so as not to remind her of the people she was with.

There was silence as the dogs seemed to scrutinize her. "It is her," said the dog with the bandages. "The medic-nin." There was general assent among the dogs. The pug looked at Rin. "He hasn't had any proper rest in days. His chakra was already very low when he summoned us."

"Did he over-use his sharingan?" Rin asked tentatively.

"Probably," answered the pug. "But it's more likely that he had been using Kage Bunshins to get away safely."

"But multiple Kage Bunshins could've easily worn him out," she said.

"Exactly." Rin figured that the pug might be the one considered as the lead dog of the pack. "Other than that though, we do not know if he had gotten any other injuries."

"Thank you," Rin said, sincerely grateful to what little information she was given. After Kakashi's heart, she concentrated her chakra towards his lungs. She alternated what she was doing between those two organs until it looked to her like a little color had come back to his face. She would stop just for a moment to stoke some wood into the fire to keep the room heated. Once she felt like his heartbeat and breathing had stabilized, she finally stopped. She tucked him up to his neck under a thick blanket. There was not much left for her to do but monitor him. If all goes well, he would just need some rest. A long rest.

Kakashi slowly opened his eye. He was expecting the harsh bright lights and the white ceiling of a hospital room. What he saw was very soft yellow light and shadows dancing on the walls and the ceiling. There must be something wrong with his eye. He closed it again, saw nothing but darkness, opened it again and let his eye adjust to the half-darkness of the dim room.

He found himself lying down on a futon spread down on the floor, near the hearth of a house he did not recognize at all. He was covered in a blanket and near him, to his relief, were all eight of his ninken resting like him. There was no one else.

He tested his voice. "Bull," Kakashi called out to his biggest dog who seemed to be sleeping near his feet. His voice was weak but otherwise fine. The huge dog's ears perked up and Bull quickly came to him. All the other dogs approached him as well, sniffing at him, checking if he was fine. It felt a little funny to see eight dog faces worriedly looking down at him. "Help me up, Bull." He held on to Bull's collar and the dog pulled back until Kakashi was in a sitting position. He felt a sudden jolt of pain, the same one he always felt whenever he over-exerts himself, a pain that felt like his insides were protesting. For a few excruciating moments, that pain was all he felt. Then slowly, it began to subside. He sighed in relief as Kakashi told his dogs that they can go. He wasn't sure how long he had been out but he knew his dogs had been guarding him. Though reluctant, they agreed to go.

One by one, the dogs disappeared in a puff of smoke. Pakkun was the last to go. "Kakashi, your friend saved you," the diminutive dog told him.

"I know, Pakkun," Kakashi quietly said. "She always does. One way or another."

Rin hurriedly walked back to her house. She came from Kenji's house where she borrowed some stuff and also told them about Kakashi's condition. As she entered the house and closed the door behind her, she realized the dogs were nowhere in sight.

She found Kakashi sitting on the futon, the blanket wrapped around him, looking at the fire. The flames danced as the wood made crackling sounds. She saw his head slightly turn toward her as he heard her come in. He was looking at her not just with his own steel-colored eye but also with Obito's sharingan, his blazing red and cold dark eyes both reflecting the fire on the hearth. She watched him look at her with those two eyes, like he was studying her, trying to etch her appearance his mind.

"You shouldn't be using your sharingan this soon," Rin said, trying to keep her voice level. "You have to rest more." She watched him look away, look back to the fire. For a moment, there was no other sound but the crackling of wood on fire.

"You know," Kakashi said. It was the first time for her to hear his voice in a long time. "I believed you were dead."


	4. Scarf

_there are supposed to be some symbols between each scene to tell you were each scene ends. i do not know why they are not showing up... grrrr..._

It felt weird to say her name. For Kakashi, it was like something that had become so unfamiliar he had to re-learn it first. Saying her name would mean that he acknowledges that she is there, alive, fussing over him they way she always did like putting a hand on his forehead to check his temperature, feeling for the pulse on his neck and making sure the blanket covered him well. He needed to gather a little courage and some sanity to do it.

"Rin." She looked at him, looked straight at his mismatched eyes, one the color of blood, the other the color of steel. "Thank you," he whispered. Rin smiled at him, a smile that was both happy and sad. It was a smile he knew so well. "I'm so glad to see you," he added.

She sat down on the floor near him. How Kakashi was reacting was different from the what she expected and dreaded. "Aren't you angry at me?"

He stared at her with both eyes. Through Obito's eye he saw how her chakra swirled within her, like small flames burning calmly and quietly. With his own eye he saw how she sat near him, hugging her knees; saw a sad, troubled look in her soft brown eyes; saw how she looked away, unable to hold his gaze.

He closed both eyes. There wasn't any anger. He doesn't feel it. When he opened just his own eye, she was still looking at the fire. "Rin." It was becoming easier to say her name. "I can't seem to get mad at you even if I tried." She looked at him and there was that smile again, both happy and sad.

"Let's get you something warm for your tummy," Rin said as she stood up and then held out a hand to Kakashi. "Help you up?"

Kakashi removed the blanket he was wrapping himself with then took Rin's hand. For a fleeting moment, it felt like nothing has changed, like they had never been apart, like time just stopped and only started moving again. But that moment quickly passed. He stood up with her helping him along.

"Do you hurt anywhere?" Rin asked, still holding on to his hand as Kakashi steadied himself on his feet, tested if he can make a step, stretched his free arm and neck.

"Everything seems to be fine," he replied. "Thanks."

"You've grown," she said as she looked up at him and reckoned that he's about a head taller than her now.

"Longer hair suits you," he said as they walked towards the nearby table. Kakashi sat down on one of the two chairs and they let go of each other's hands. Rin went to the tiny kitchen and came back to the table to pour him some hot tea and serve him some warm soup. She watched him eat before starting on her own food.

It was dark outside and the faint light coming from within the house and out the window allowed him to see that it was snowing that night. "You were asleep for two days," Rin said. It felt like she needed to fill the silence. "You need to rest more."

Kakashi nodded. "Who were those people who brought me here?"

"That's Eito-san and Kenji. They live nearby. They're from the Shiroyuki clan which is like the Nara clan of Konoha. They guard the forest in this region which is home to the white deers."

"I think I have heard of that clan."

"They are good people, Kakashi. I am glad they found you."

"I am quite lucky. I'd want to be able to thank them personally."

"I'll make sure you do. I bet it wasn't easy for them to carry you all the way from the mountain," Rin said with a smile.

"They're big people. I don't think I weighed that much to them," Kakashi defended.

Little by little, over some hot tea and soup, the awkwardness of their reunion diminished.

o0o0o0o0

"Do I really need to keep the hood on?" Kakashi asked a little jokingly as Rin adjusted the hood of the coat he was wearing.

"I prefer that you do," Rin replied seriously as she put her own coat on. "You're the one who just suffered from hypothermia, remember?"

"Fine," he conceded. "If I could just have my mask."

"I mended and washed your shirt so it's still wet, Kakashi. Please make do with the clothes I borrowed," she said, referring to the coat and sweater the Shiroyukis lent them.

"I am thankful for the clothes, Rin. I jut feel sort of... uhm... exposed."

"That's why I have this," Rin said as she held up a scarf. She wound it around his neck and the lower part of his face, adjusting it until it suited Kakashi. "How's that?" she asked as she took one step back to see how he looked.

"Much better, thanks." Kakashi's eyes narrowed to cheerful slits. She liked his smile. In the four days he had spent in her house (two of which while he was unconscious), it seemed like he had smiled more times than when they were still teammates back in Konoha. She felt like she wanted to take a picture of that smile so she can always keep the photo with her.

"Put these on too." She handed him a pair of mittens but sensed his hesitation to wear them. She looked at him curiously.

"You can't make hand seals with these on," he remarked.

"We're just going outside to get you some fresh air, Kakashi," she insisted. He sighed dramatically just to pull her leg, then put the mittens on."

"Ready?" she asked. They stood behind the front door, all set to go out.

"You make it sound like we're going on a fight," he commented. Rin smiled then opened the door.

Cold, crisp air instantly greeted the two as they stepped out of the house. The whole place looked like something straight out of a postcard Kakashi thought as the sound of children's laughter rang through the air. Though he liked the coziness of being inside Rin's home, a breath of fresh air was certainly a welcome change.

Rin set about building the snowman she had started the day before. So far, she had made the lower body so she began rolling some snow for the head. She glanced at Kakashi who had found the solitary bench beside the walk that led to the front door. "Are you okay?" she asked as he wiped the snow off the bench and sat down. He answered with a thumbs-up sign and a smile.

0o0o0o0o0o

Rin should have sensed it coming when all the laughter in the background subsided and was replaced by a buzz of activity, but she was too busy building her snowman. Kakashi on the other hand had been too relaxed, had almost gone into a sort of stupor as he fiddled with the scarf she gave him while thinking about wanting so much to read one of his Icha Icha books, to notice anything.

"SNOWBALL FIGHT!" came a shout from somewhere behind some shrubs of the neighboring house.

Through pure instinct, Kakashi was able to deflect with his hand a speeding ball of snow that zipped his way. He was knocked off the bench, more out of surprise, and fell on his back. With his legs still up on the bench, he lay inert on the snow, feeling the coldness on the back of his head since the hood of the coat he was wearing fell out of place. "HOLD YOUR FIRE!" he heard someone yell. Then his view of the sky was disrupted when a couple of kids' heads popped into view with Rin's following behind.

"I'm sorry!" cried a freckly-faced boy.

"Why'd you throw one at him, baka?" scolded a girl with frizzy hair.

"Are you okay, ojiisan?" asked a chubby boy whose cheeks were flushed red due to the effort of lumbering in the snow.

Kakashi looked at each young face that was peering down at him. "I'm okay," he said. The young ones helped him up and also helped with brushing off the powdery snow that clung to his clothes. Rin was too busy laughing at how his gray-white hair always confused children into thinking that he's an old man. Once the youngsters had made sure that they did not do him any damage, they ran off to different directions. "Back to your forts!" shouted the frizzy-haired girl. "No casualty!"

"HOLD YOUR FORTS!" came shouts from other children on different hiding places. There was a moment of silence and then the signal came. "ATTACK!"

"Come on," Rin said smilingly as she gripped Kakashi's arm. "You wouldn't want to be caught on the crossfire." She pulled him to the relative safety of the back of her unfinished snowman where they waited out the snowball war, sitting huddled together.

0o0o0o0o0o

"Let's go to the pond, Kakashi. It's nice there."

He followed her past the clearing in front of her house which the kid's just used as their battlefield towards the woods. It was darker there. Though there were trees that were stripped bare of leaves and only had gnarly branches reaching out to the sky, there were also lots of pine trees and evergreens.

She walked a few steps ahead of him, leading him through the narrow trail within the woods. He watched her brown hair sway as she lightly trod over snow and rough ground. When she glanced back at him to check that he was still following, he had an unusual urge to walk up to her and hold her hand as they ambled along. Or better yet, he thought, to wrap his arm around her shoulder and hold her close.


	5. Blanket

The sound of snow crunching underfoot can be heard as Rin walked along the snow-covered path that led to the pond. Once or twice, there was a soft thump as a clump of snow fell from a branch of a tree towards a waiting snowbank on the ground. Snowflakes clung to the tips of bare tree branches, forming delicately beautiful tiny white flowers that Rin could not resist to stop and have a look. She could see the puff of steam with every exhale of her breath. The sun was up but its heat was weak against the power of winter.

Whatever season it was - be it spring, summer, autumn or winter – the walk through the woods towards the pond never failed to bring her a feeling of peace and calm. More so now as she followed the lone set of prints on the otherwise pristine snow.

From where Kakashi was standing, far up on a bough of one of the tallest trees just by the pond, he caught the faint sound of someone approaching. He did not need to look to know that it was Rin come a-looking for him but still he watched as she reached the shore of the pond. She walked at a leisurely pace, looking down at his tracks on the snow which ended where the frozen pond began. He saw her head turn left then right, scanning the area around her, finding no one. She wheeled around then looked up, caught sight of him and merrily waved. He raised a hand then awkwardly waved back.

It has been several days since Kakashi had been found by the Shiroyuki men, rangers of the mountain and surrounding forest land, inside a cave on the mountain that stood over their tiny village. Through some lucky twist of fate (or glitch in the cosmic workings) Kakashi found himself saved from almost certain death by a person he had long believed to be dead.

Kakashi got down the tree, jumping lightly down one branch to another until he reached solid ground. He walked towards Rin who was smiling at him, putting his ungloved hands inside the pocket on each side of the sweater she managed to find for him. A few days before, she had showed him that particular place and everyday since then, he ventured out on his own to that same place. There when he's alone, he felt like he managed to think straight. It was just that being with Rin affected him in a way that made him sort of forget things, like for example: that he was actually on a mission and had to get back to Konoha.

He took a deep breath of the cold, crisp, clean winter air and let out a sigh. "Rin," he said, unsure if his voice was even. "I've been staying here too long. I should be leaving." The smile melted from her face as she looked away. She knew this had to come. She knew she would feel sad once it did. "You're leaving right now?" she asked. He seemed to think for a moment. He has delayed himself enough. What was one more day? "Tomorrow at daybreak," he replied.

There came a silence between them, deep and full of unasked questions and unsaid things. Kakashi was the one who dared to break it. "Rin, I wanted to ask why you…," he seemed to think of what to say." I mean, how you ended up here."

Of course he wanted to know. He never really brought up the subject and she thought it wise to follow suit. But Kakashi was the type who wants his questions answered. She knew he was biding his time. It had been easier to pretend that she was just a long unseen friend.

She re-phrased the question for him. "You'd like to know why I left Konoha?" It was exactly the words he would've used. His silence was expectant, raring for an answer.

She looked away, looked beyond the pond, beyond the trees on the other side, towards distant memories. "You're not the only one who felt guilty for what happened to Obito," she said in a small voice. "If it wasn't for me, maybe…"

"Obito would have come even if it was me who got captured," Kakashi cut in.

"Nevertheless, Kakashi. That's part of it." She stopped talking for a moment. A lone white deer had come into view. It walked along the shore on the far side of the pond. They both watched it look their way. It did not seem wary of the two still figures that were looking back at it. The deer's ears perked up; it sniffed the air then bounded away.

"And then there was you," Rin continued."It was bad enough that we lost Obito. I didn't want you getting harmed because of me."

"I'm not getting it," Kakashi muttered.

"You know how there were people who wanted to possess a sharingan? How they wanted to get one any way they can?" Kakashi nodded his head at Rin's question. "Even you became a target when it became known that a sharingan was transplanted to you. Some people figured that if they cannot get one from an Uchiha, knowing how members of that clan were formidable fighters, they can probably get it from a young shinobi who probably would not be able to use it properly.

"But you proved to be quite capable of taking care of yourself. And you were able to use it. I do not know how you've improved but I'd bet that you can do more with that sharingan now." She fell silent again, gathering her thoughts. "Putting me in the picture just made it messy, Kakashi."

"I'm afraid I'm not getting it again," he mumbled.

"I know you were only trying to protect me. But let me say that it went too far. You're a good fighter but people knew your weakness. If they wanted to get you, they had to get me."

It made sense to Kakashi. Some things started to fall into place. It explained why on the last couple of their missions together before she disappeared, she seemed to be the target of the people who would show up to pursue them. She seemed to be always in danger and by protecting her, he had been the one who ended up getting hurt.

"I never knew of these people who were after me," Kakashi stated.

"Sensei and the ANBU knew. Sandaime as well. You were much qualified to be an ANBU and it was better for you to be there since it gave you the chance to work with a level of anonymity. They kept tabs on you. And they also had the Uchiha clan in mind. They wanted to protect everyone; the Uchiha, me, you. Minato-sensei had a lot of decisions to make as hokage. But you know that he cared for us."

"You didn't need to pretend that you're dead…"

"No, It wouldn't have worked any other way. Not for you especially."

And she was right. For a time, he looked for her, tried to investigate what happened, but he always came to a dead end. All his efforts just pointed to the fact that she was gone. "I tried to look for you… I'm sorry I gave up." He didn't want to begin telling her how awful it felt to lose her.

"I'm sure you did your best. You did a good job protecting me, Kakashi. I'm thankful for everything. But I told myself that I'll do my best to protect you too."

Dinner was with the Shiroyukis. Kakashi finally had the chance to personally thank the men who helped him and brought her to Rin. It also allowed him to get acquainted with the people who Rin considered as family. More than anything, being with other people helped ease the awkwardness between him and Rin after their conversation by the pond.

He got to know Eito – head of the family, one of the go-to-guys in that small community when it came to any trouble or problem, one of the oldest (yet still very strong) of the Shiroyuki clan whose families were scattered along the boundary of the forest land they guarded. And there was Kenji – a big yet funny man who reminded Kakashi of a young Jiraiya sans the perviness, who had a gentle way of talking to his wife and kids and who looked as strong and as intelligent as his father Eito.

Before leaving, Kakashi was given a cloak ("That's reversible, man. White side so you can wear it during winter then lie down on the ground and pretend to be a human-shaped snowdrift. Brown side so you can wear it on any other weather then lie down on the ground and pretend to be a mound of dung or something…Get what I mean?" Kenji had said), a tanto (Kenji said, "It's not much but don't ever use it on a deer be it white, brown, spotted or…" "Purple!" shouted Kenji's youngest child.) and a piece of knotted string ("My daughter here says that's a lucky bracelet. I don't know where she gets her ideas but, darnit, just take it will you?" Kenji begged).

Kakashi was grateful for everything. "I could not thank you enough," he said as he bowed his head. He and Rin stood by the doorway, ready to leave. "Don't mention it," Eito said. Earlier in the evening Rin had confessed that she was from Konoha and that she personally knew Kakashi. Eito told her that she did not need to say anything more. That was when Kakashi and Rin knew that Eito knew more than he let on and that the information was safe with him. "I wish I can do something to pay you back one way or another," Kakashi said.

"Just make sure you visit Rin," Kenji teased."We had never seen her so happy until you showed up here."

During the night, Rin felt Kakashi quietly enter her room. She lay on her side on the bed, her eyes were closed but she was fully awake, hugging a pillow to her chest. She felt him pull the blanket up to her neck, tucking her in. A finger lightly brushed her cheek where a purple stripe was. She felt him sit on the foot of the bed. Outside, snow was falling. Inside, on the hearth, a fire was burning.

Rin knew she had fallen asleep because she did not know when Kakashi had left her room. She got up from bed and walked out. Only embers were left of the crackling fire. She was the only one in the house. She ran to the front door and was relieved when she opened it to find Kakashi standing outside, leaning on a shovel he had been using to clear the snow off the walk that led to the house. She let out a sigh. "I thought you had left." He walked towards her. "I should be gracious enough to say goodbye before I go."

Kakashi never had any difficulties with saying goodbye. Goodbyes to him were nothing ceremonious. Usually, it was just a wave of the hand. Sometimes it was a courteous bow or a handshake with a few well-spoken words before he turns around and walks away. Goodbyes were nothing complicated. Not this time though.

On him was the cloak the Shiroyukis gave, white side out to camouflage him. Underneath that he had the tanto secure in its sheath, the bracelet in his pocket where he was sure he won't lose it, on old belt bag Rin gave him with some stuff for a medical kit and the scarf she had made wound around his neck. He walked out the back door followed by Rin. The backyard was untouched and they left tracks on the snow. They walked several steps away from the house before he stopped and faced her.

"Thank you," Kakashi said in a quiet voice. "For everything," He wanted so much to take Rin with him but it didn't feel right to take her away from that place where she was safe and surrounded by good people. There she did not need to worry about missions or battles (except snowball fights). "Can I see you again?"

"I'm not going anywhere. You know where to find me," was her equally quiet reply. She cannot get herself to look at his face, to watch him go. "Take care."

"Bye now." That was the last thing she heard him say. There was a rush of wind and he was gone.

She turned around to walk back to her house, lingering for a moment outside on the cold as she stared at the two sets of prints on the snow. His prints will be covered up in no time once snow fell from the sky again. And that was that. She retraced her steps and looked one last time at his prints on the snow before conclusively closing the door behind her.

She felt terribly cold. She found herself blankly walking to the fireplace and then stoking some wood into the fire. It blazed before her as she went to sit on the futon laid down on the floor. She grabbed the blanket that was neatly folded on top of a pillow and wrapped herself with it. It didn't cross her mind that it was the same blanket he had been using. She stared at the flames hoping that a certain man with gray-white hair and mismatched eyes gets safely to where he was going.


	6. Hug

It was the night of the midwinter gathering. There was dancing to the beat of drums and singing to the tune of fiddles. People - both young and old - gathered around a bonfire. Food and drinks were shared, as well as stories. It was a night of laughter and merriment.

Rin was among the crowd. Like her, people from their small village looked forward to this gathering, held on a night halfway through winter, when the sky is clear. It was a reprieve from the monotony of the season which usually kept them cooped up inside their homes, safe from the cold and snowstorms.

She spent the night with her friends, listening to funny and sometimes lewd stories. She sang along to songs she knew, danced a little, drank a lot of cider, drank a little sake, and was teased a lot for still being single. When about to be paired with certain available men, she managed to slip away unnoticed.

Like the previous gatherings, Rin enjoyed the event. But it was different this time. She felt somewhat lonely among all those people and it was not difficult for her to determine why. She bid goodbye to some people before walking home by herself. There was a snowman or two (or sometimes a whole family of snowpeople) on the front yards of the houses she passed by, with candles lit within a hole in their bodies. She smiled at each snowperson as she walked by.

When she reached her house, she approached the lone snowman standing in front of it. "Hello, my snowman," she said to it with a smile that was happy and sad at the same time. "How are you doing?" She re-arranged the scarf it was wearing, one she had knit herself. She looked at her snowman's face. One eye, the right, was a tiny smooth black stone. The other was a glass pebble, of the color red. Rin whispered to the snowman, "Are you coming back?"

…

…

…

"What was your question again?" Shiba asked.  
"I said - if there was something you want right now, right at this moment, what would it be?" Bisuke said.  
"Ahhh, I always want a pat on the head," was Uuhei's answer.  
"Scratch on the chin," said Guruko.  
"Woof (which everyone understood to be 'rib-eye steak')," barked Bull.  
"World peace," joked Akino.  
"Oh, shut up Akino," scolded Urushi.  
"All I could think of right now is a tummy scratch," Pakkun said sleepily.

Kakashi smiled behind the Icha Icha Tactics book that was covering his face. His ninken were having one of their random conversations again.

In his home village of Konoha, there was a certain chill in the air but the sun shone as bright and intense as it always did. The afternoon was being spent by Kakashi lying down on the grass, dozing off under the shade of a tree, accompanied by his ninja dogs. Sunlight pierced through the gaps between the leaves of the tree making dappled patches of light on the ground, on the dogs and on Kakashi as well. Another mission was coming up so he was trying to enjoy what free time he had.

The wind blew. He felt it ruffle his hair. He heard the leaves rustle. The dogs had moved on to another topic, something about ninja cats. But his dog's question still floated in his head. He knew he had his own answer for it.

What did he want right then, right at that moment? Maybe what he actually wanted more than anything else that time? Easy. He just wanted to be with Rin.

…

…

…

The northern lights hung like red and green curtains against the deep purple night sky. They moved as if being blown by a gentle breeze. Rin was watching it from the back door of her house. In a few weeks, winter would be over. She was already looking forward to spring.

The time Kakashi spent with her back at the start of winter felt like a dream, like it never happened. She had set aside the memories somewhere at the back of her head. Somehow, she still regretted not going with him. She still somewhat wondered why he did not take her with him. She thought that maybe he just really didn't want her. Not one bit. Not at all. The thought pinched at her heart.

"Rin?"

Though it wasn't obvious, Rin had almost jumped out of her skin when she heard a voice call her name, a voice all too familiar to her.

"Kakashi?"

He came into view looking almost exactly the way he looked when he left. He had the white cloak with the hood down, showing his gray-white hair that stuck out to all directions. The scarf she gave him was showing from beneath the cloak. He wasn't wearing a forehead protector though he had one with him. Both his eyes were open, the sharingan showing distinctly as it reflected the light coming out of the open doorway. It was for Rin to know that it was really him.

Slowly, he walked straight into the house as Rin stepped back from the dorr to let him in, closing the door behind him. 'Sorry if I scared you," he said as he took off the cloak and hung it by a peg on the door. Rin could only shake her head since she was on a state of smiling speechlessness. She reached up a hand to dust off something that was on Kakashi's hair. As she did this, Kakashi stepped closer and gathered her in his arms to lock her in a hug. All Rin can do (which was what she really wanted to do in the first place) was to hug him back. "Are you on a mission?" she asked. She felt him shake his head and plant a kiss on hers.

As she hugged him, she was thinking how she would tell him that there was no way, no matter what he says, she will allow him to go back to Konoha without taking her with him. As he hugged her, he was thinking how he would ask her, if it wasn't much of a trouble or only if she really wanted to, if she might consider going back to Konoha with him.


End file.
